WINNER OF THE DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE 2017 Reina Castillo's beloved brother is serving a death sentence for a crime that shocked the community
- a crime for which Reina secretly blames herself When she is at last released from her seven-year prison vigil Reina moves to a sleepy town in the Florida Keys seeking anonymity There she meets Nesto a recently exiled Cuban awaiting with hope the arrival of the children he left behind in Havana Through Nesto's love of the sea & capacity for faith Reina comes to understand her own connections to the life-giving & destructive forces of the ocean that surrounds her as well as its role in her family's troubled history Set in the vibrant coastal & Caribbean communities of Miami; the Florida Keys; Havana Cuba; & Cartagena Colombia The Veins of the Ocean is a wrenching exploration of what happens when life tests the limits of compassion & a stunning & unforgettable portrait of fractured lives finding solace in the beauty & power of the natural world & in one another